Blacks, AIDS And Silence

Yes, the black community must address AIDS; we must see it for what it is. It is a disease that capitalizes on our reluctance to be associated with behaviors that we may not understand or condone.

It's a tragedy that the rate of H.I.V. infection among young gay men of African descent is now 30 percent. And it's a tragedy that these men are often forced to remain hidden. With their competing and sometimes contradictory identities, they may feel that they must choose between being gay and being black. This schism is not only painful but in the case of H.I.V. can also be deadly.

If we continue to put our heads in the sand, the history books will skim over our legacy of struggle and triumph, and record that we died as a result of a black epidemic of intolerance.